Rusty trailer, from the inside

[msquicci]

I have a 97 E-Zloader trailer, single axel. It is rusting from the inside, bleeding onto the surface. Can I do anything about it?

 

[gspig]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

Is it bubbling from under the paint or eaten through the tubing from the inside. If it is the paint, sand or wire brush the spots and prime and paint. If it is clean through the metal you will have to determine the structural strength left and have patches cut and welded in place.

 

[JB]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

Get it sandblasted. What comes next will then be obvious.

 

[msquicci]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

It is staining the outside around places where water goes inside the trailer and drips out, below the taillights, for example. You can also see it around the painted bolts. It is not bubbling under the paint. If I sandblast it, I remove the rust and paint from the outside. Can the inside of the metal, where the rust is coming from, be sandblasted also?

 

[gspig]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

I understand. I think everyone has that problem. I don't know of any good way to treat the inside of the trailer tubing. I just replaced 2 crossmembers because they rusted from the inside out. You might be able to drill some access holes and spray rust neutralizer inside, but the coverage would be spotty.

 

[GlasV162]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

This is why everyone should get a trailer made with a
"C" Channel or Mill Channel frame. On this type frame, all sides of the frame are exposed so you can see that all surfaces have been galvanized, and there is no place for water to get trapped like on a box or tube frame. To my knowledge, Magic Tilt is the only major mfr. left making this type trailer; the rest probably stopped making them b/c they last too long and it killed their sales. Ok, I'll stop being synical..........

 

[Oldfrog]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

Hi guys !

First post here. This is a great site !
I know this is an old thread, but it sure hit home with me and my 1996 Trailer that my Skeeter sits on. I guess it's an EZ loader box tube, and it's literally falling apart. I have added so many pieces of angle iron to it in the past two years, it isnt funny anymore. The boat is still perfect. ( garage kept until two yrs ago). But this trailer has to go. Here's my question for you guys:

I'm pretty handy with a welder and was wondering if it's even feasible for me to cut out and reinstall one of the bow tubes on this old trailer? I suppose I can get someone to bend it for me if I look hard enough. But with the price of steel nowdays, I'm wondering if I'm better off buying :

1- A new trailer frame, using my old axle, winch and lighting. ( I tried talking to EZ loader...and that was a nightmare phone system they have...and of course, the Skeeter dealer hasnt even called me back)

or 2 - just biting the bullet and getting another trailer.

I'd like to keep this Skeeter even though I'll be buying a bay boat later this year. 'Need the Skeeter for the lake.

Repair it? Replace the whole frame? ( if so, where can I get one ?) or just get a whole new trailer?

Thanks in advance, guys !

 

[45Auto]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

Champion trailers http://www.championtrailers.com/ has always been great for me. They have about any trailer component you can think of. You can download their catalog at the top of the page or look at it online.

Cheapest way to go would probably be a used trailer. I tend to keep my stuff forever, I wouldn't want a trailer unless it was galvanized or aluminum! When I sold my 1997 galvanized trailer last summer it still looked brand new.

Whether it's worth repairing yours you would have to determine after seeing how much it would cost versus a new one.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Rusty trailer, from the inside

if it is a painted trailer, used in salt water, it is near the end of it's life. i've seen too many broke back trailer from interior rust.